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Helpful Resources
Helpful Resources-Books, Products, Foods
I do lots of reading for continuous education about the health benefits of diets such as Paleo/Primal and Keto. Here are some of the references that I found very helpful in my own health journey (as an Amazon affiliate I receive a payment for purchases made through the links below).
Books:
The Primal Blueprint - Mark Sisson. Released in 2009, this book based on Mark's website, www.marksdailyapple.com, introduced the Primal lifestyle incorporating a Primal style lower carbohydrate diet along with recommendations for sleep, exercise and stress management.
The Keto Reset Diet - Mark Sisson and Brad Kearns. This book expanded Mark's nutrition recommendations from a Paleo type Primal diet (50-100 carbs/day) to a Keto diet with 50 carbs/day or less. The best choice varies by the individual and this is one benefit a health coach brings. We work with clients to determine what diet works best for their body.
Why We Get Fat-Gary Taubes. This book describes how the low fat diet became conventional wisdom as the way to eat, why this diet has spawned the obesity epidemic, and presents the evidence that a lower carbohydrate diet with sufficient healthy fats balances our hormones and leads to weight loss.
Product Recommendations
I'll be updating this section regularly on products I use to support my low carbohydrate lifestyle. As an Amazon associate I receive a benefit when products are purchased through the links below.
Air Fryer: My latest purchase was an air fryer. I know, they've been around forever. I've been hearing how great they are but took my time researching and reading reviews for performance and reliability. I finally jumped in recently and bought a Cosori air fryer that has heating zones at both the top and bottom of the basket so you don't have to flip most foods in the middle of cooking. I'm loving making roasted meats, fish and vegetables in this!
Scale: I recently bought a Renpho scale that measures weight, BMI, body fat %, lean body mass, bone mass, etc. It has an app to save and track your measurements over time. For under $30 this is a great deal and provides lots of useful information!
Electrolytes: During the adjustment to a lower carbohydrate diet, the body releases sodium, potassium and magnesium along with water. The "keto flu" symptoms of tiredness and headache often occur during the transition to burning fat. Drinking electrolyte solution can prevent or eliminate these unpleasant symptoms. I use electrolytes daily, especially in summer. Two products I recommend are LMNT https://amzn.to/3nmngcs and Key Nutrients. https://amzn.to/3xUspNV
Food Recommendations
I've tried a ton of low carb products, both from stores and by mail order. There have been a lot of duds-low carb breads that tasted like cardboard, pastas made of corn/rice/peas/lentils/beans that didn't have the right texture or taste or still too many carbs, etc. As I find products that work for my family (and taste good!) I'll be posting them here.
Uprising Food bread and chips: Let's face it, it can be tough to give up wheat breads. Everyone loves their sandwiches and toast. I've tried every gluten free, low carb bread I could find and most were pretty bad. I finally found one I like by Uprising Foods. It is almond flour based and high in fiber. They describe it as being sourdough-like, I just know I can eat grilled cheese sandwiches again! Their chips are also almond flour based. The are super crunchy and tasty. I love them with cheeses and meats or just on their own.
Kaizen pasta: Pasta was the other food I missed on a low carb diet. When I was eating Primally with up to 100 carbs/day I could use brown rice pasta. As I've decreased my carbs the corn/rice options were too high so I tried lentil and chickpea pastas next. They're....ok with sauce. Next I tried shirataki noodles-extremely low carb and have the texture of rubber bands. Finally I found a super low carb pasta made from lupin beans-3 net carbs per 2 oz. dry along with protein and fiber. Kaizen is a pretty new company doing great work-they have continued to improve the product over time. I'm very happy eating this. The texture isn't quite like wheat-it's sort of al dente-is. It makes a great meal with a protein and a low carb marinara sauce.
May 2022 note: Kaizen just released an improved version of their product to make it even more pasta-like - it's now 6 net carbs with 20g protein and 15g fiber per serving. I've ordered it and will review it soon! They are offering a discount currently with code PASTAFAN